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Insertion of venous access devices (VAD) is usually considered a procedure with low risk of bleeding. Nonetheless, insertion of some devices is invasive enough to be associated with bleeding, especially in patients with previous coagulopathy or in treatment with antithrombotic drugs for cardiovascular disease. The current practices of platelet/plasma transfusion in coagulopathic patients and of temporary suspension of the antithrombotic treatment before VAD insertion are based on local policies and are often inadequately supported by evidence, since many of the clinical studies on this topic are not recent and are not of high quality. Furthermore, the protocols of antithrombotic treatment have changed during the last decade, after the introduction of new oral anticoagulant drugs. Though some guidelines address some of these issues in relation with specific procedures (port insertion, etc.), no evidence-based document covering all the aspects of this clinical problem is currently available. Thus, the Italian Group of Venous Access Devices (GAVeCeLT) has decided to develop a consensus on the management of antithrombotic treatment and bleeding disorders in patients requiring VADs. After a systematic review of the available evidence, the panel of the consensus (which included vascular access specialists, surgeons, intensivists, anesthetists, cardiologists, vascular medicine experts, nephrologists, infective disease specialists, and thrombotic disease specialists) has structured the final recommendations as detailed answers to three sets of questions: (1) which is an appropriate classification of VAD-related procedures based on the specific bleeding risk? (2) Which is the appropriate management of the patient with bleeding disorders candidate to VAD insertion/removal? (3) Which is the appropriate management of the patient on antithrombotic treatment candidate to VAD insertion/removal? Only statements reaching a complete agreement were included in the final recommendations, and all recommendations were offered in a clear and synthetic list, so to be easily translated into clinical practice.

Introduced over 20 years ago, the reverse tapering design for PICC catheters is supposed to have some benefits in terms of both efficacy and safety. In particular, it would ensure less postoperative bleeding at the exit site and greater effectiveness in preventing kinking or twisting of the same. Since its introduction, these hypothesized advantages have never been demonstrated in clinical studies, however very scarce, which have highlighted neither advantages nor disadvantages of reverse tapered catheters when compared to non-reverse tapered ones. This narrative review analyzes some aspects of the use of reverse tapered PICCs, also paying attention to some possible undesirable effects that have arisen from the introduction into clinical practice of new subcutaneous systems of securement of PICCs to the skin. Clinicians should be aware of the fact that reverse tapering design does not represents a sure improvement in terms of safety and efficacy of PICCs and its adoption should be weighed against possible clinical disadvantages.

Several recent literature reports regarding the flushing technique of TIVADs highlight how the definition of the optimal flushing interval is still a source of controversy. Several recent studies indicate more and more frequently how 4 weeks can be considered a too short interval for the flushing of a totally implantable access device (TIVAD); on the other hand most of the main guidelines and instructions for use provided by the device’s manufacturers still suggest an interval between 4 weeks and 1 month as the ideal one. The recent meta-analysis by Wu et al. on this topic, promotes an important strategy change, indicating the possibility of extending the flushing intervals at least up to 8 weeks. This editorial extensively discusses the flushing methods of TIVADs highlighting the need for important and substantial changes, both in extending the range of flushes and in the solutions and methods to be used. It represents an invitation to the scientific community and device manufacturers for a complete revision of the indications on flushing techniques.

This study investigates the incidence of post-operative complications and risk factors of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in melanoma patients.A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single cancer institution on 408 consecutive SLNBs.Fifty-five post-operative complications occurred in 39 (9.5%) patients and included: wound infection in 24 (5.9%), seroma and lymphorrhea in 15 (3.7%), wound dehiscence in seven (1.7%), lymphocele in six (1.5%) and others in three (0.7%). Univariate analysis failed to identify possible risk factors (i.e. gender, age, lymph node region, number of excised lymph nodes, Breslow index, pT levels, comorbidities, length of surgery and hospital stay). Metastatic sentinel nodes occurred in four of 135 (3%) patients with thin melanoma (Breslow1 mm) and in 68 of 262 (25.9%) patients with Breslow1 mm.For patients with thin melanoma in whom the incidence of lymph node metastasis is low, the reported post-operative morbidity of almost 10% of SLNB highlights the need for careful patient selection.

Since several innovations have recently changed the criteria of choice and management of peripheral venous access (new devices, new techniques of insertion, new recommendations for maintenance), the WoCoVA Foundation (WoCoVA = World Conference on Vascular Access) has developed an international Consensus with the following objectives: to propose a clear and useful classification of the currently available peripheral venous access devices; to clarify the proper indication of central versus peripheral venous access; discuss the indications of the different peripheral venous access devices (short peripheral cannulas vs long peripheral cannulas vs midline catheters); to define the proper techniques of insertion and maintenance that should be recommended today. To achieve these purposes, WoCoVA have decided to adopt a European point of view, considering some relevant differences of terminology between North America and Europe in this area of venous access and the need for a common basis of understanding among the experts recruited for this project. The ERPIUP Consensus (ERPIUP = European Recommendations for Proper Indication and Use of Peripheral venous access) was designed to offer systematic recommendations for clinical practice, covering every aspect of management of peripheral venous access devices in the adult patient: indication, insertion, maintenance, prevention and treatment of complications, removal. Also, our purpose was to improve the standardization of the terminology, bringing clarity of definition, and classification.

The need for filtering intravenous infusions has long been recognized in the field of venous access, though hard scientific evidence about the actual indications for in-line filters has been scarce. In the last few years, several papers and a few clinical studies have raised again this issue, suggesting that the time has come for a proper definition of the type of filtration, of its potential benefit, and of its proper indications in clinical practice. The WoCoVA Foundation, whose goal is to increase the global awareness on the risk of intravenous access and on patients’ safety, developed the project of a consensus on intravenous filtration. A panel of experts in different aspects of intravenous infusion was chosen to express the current state of knowledge about filtration and to indicate the direction of future research in this field. The present document reports the final conclusions of the panel.

Background: PICC-ports may be defined as totally implantable central venous devices inserted in the upper limb using the current state-of-the-art techniques of PICC insertion (ultrasound-guided venipuncture of deep veins of the arm, micro-puncture kits, proper location of the tip preferably by intracavitary ECG), with placement of the reservoir at the middle third of the arm. A previous report on breast cancer patients demonstrated the safety and efficacy of these devices, with a very low failure rate. Methods: This retrospective multicenter cohort study—developed by GAVeCeLT (the Italian Group of Long-Term Venous Access Devices)—investigated the outcomes of PICC-ports in a large cohort of unselected patients. The study included 4480 adult patients who underwent PICC-port insertion in five Italian centers, during a period of 60 months. The primary outcome was device failure, defined as any serious adverse event (SAE) requiring removal. The secondary outcome was the incidence of temporary adverse events (TAE) not requiring removal. Results: The median follow-up was 15.5 months. Device failure occurred in 52 cases (1.2%), the main causes being local infection ( n = 7; 0.16%) and CRBSI ( n = 19; 0.42%). Symptomatic catheter-related thrombosis occurred in 93 cases (2.1%), but removal was required only in one case (0.02%). Early/immediate and late TAE occurred in 904 cases (20.2%) and in 176 cases (3.9%), respectively. Conclusions: PICC-ports are safe venous access devices that should be considered as an alternative option to traditional arm-ports and chest-ports when planning chemotherapy or other long-term intermittent intravenous treatments.

Background Adjuvant chemotherapy is the standard of care in high-risk early breast cancer patients. Dose-dense should be the preferred schedule of administration. However, its long-term benefit is unknown. Methods In the Italian multicentre Phase 3 randomised MIG-1 trial, node-positive and high-risk node- negative breast cancer patients were randomised to receive six cycles of adjuvant fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide regimen administered every 3 (FEC21) or 2 (FEC14) weeks. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoint was event-free survival (EFS). Results From 1992 to 1997, 1214 patients were included. Median follow-up was 15.8 years. In all, 15-year OS was 71% and 68% in the FEC14 and FEC21 groups, respectively (HR = 0.89; p = 0.25). In all, 15-year EFS was 47% and 43% in the FEC14 and FEC21 groups, respectively (HR = 0.87; p = 0.18). In a pre-planned subgroup analysis, among patients with hormone receptor-negative tumours, 15-year OS was 70% and 65% in the FEC14 and FEC21 groups, respectively (HR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.51–1.06); 15-year EFS was 58% and 43% in the FEC14 and FEC21 groups, respectively (HR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.51–0.96). Conclusions Updated results from the MIG-1 study are numerically in favour of dose-dense chemotherapy, and suggest a long-term benefit of this approach in high-risk early breast cancer patients.

Background and Objectives The increasing use of peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICCs) for chemotherapy has led to the observation of an elevated risk of complications and failures. This study investigates PICC failures in cancer patients. Methods A prospective study was conducted at a single cancer institution on 291 PICC placement for chemotherapy. The primary study outcome was PICC failure. Results Median follow-up was 119 days. PICC complications occurred in 72 patients (24.7%) and failures with removal in 44 (15.1%). Reasons for failures were upper extremity deep venous thrombosis (UEDVT) 12 (4.1%), central line associate bloodstream infection (CLABSI) 5 (1.7%) with an infection rate of 0.95 per 1,000 catheter days, exit site infection 9 (3.1%) with a rate of 1.46 per 1,000 catheter days, catheter dislodgment 11 (3.8%), and occlusion 7 (2.4%). Statistically significant risk factors were previous DVT (HR 2.95, 95%CI 1.33–6.53), reason for PICC implant (HR 3.65, 95%CI 1.12–10.34) and 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin and bevacizumab based chemotherapy (HR 3.11, 95%CI 1.17–8.26). Conclusions PICC is a safe venous device for chemotherapy delivery. Nevertheless, a 15% rate of failure has to be taken in account when planning PICC insertion for chemotherapy purposes. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;113:708–714. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The feasibility of videoscopic inguinal-iliac-obturator lymphadenectomy (VIIOL) was assessed in 20 patients with melanoma and compared with a retrospective sample of 24 patients undergoing standard 'open' technique (IIOL).No postoperative death occurred; the mean operative time was lower in the IIOL series (190 min vs. 302 min) but the quality of life was greatly improved in the VIIOL group thanks to earlier bladder catheter removal, no nasogastric suction, less pain, earlier mobilization, lower in-hospital stay, and earlier resumption of daily activities (27.6 vs. 83.2 days, p0.001). Six out of 20 patients in the IIOL series had wound complications (30%) as compared to one in the VIIOL series (4%) (p=0.035).Staging and therapeutic efficacy of VIIOL were similar to the standard technique; the longer operative time of VIIOL was greatly compensated by less pain, lower wound complication rate, and earlier discharge from hospital and recovery of daily activities.

Item does not contain fulltext Deep vein thrombosis of upper limb is a common complication of CVC in patients with cancer. In these patients the risk factors for CVC-related thrombosis are not completely defined. The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for CVC-related thrombosis in patients included in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study aimed at assessing the efficacy and safety of enoxaparin for the prophylaxis of CVC-related thrombosis. CVC-related thrombosis was screened by mandatory venography after 6 weeks of study treatment. A number of patient baseline characteristics were assessed as potential risk factors for CVC-related deep vein thrombosis. Crude associations between risk factors and clinical outcomes were assessed by chi(2) test or Fisher's exact test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors. A CVC-related thrombosis was found in 50 out of 310 patients (16.1%). At multiple logistic regression analysis, CVC tip misplaced in the upper half of superior vena cava (OR 4.05, 95%CI 1.64-10.02), left-sided CVC insertion (OR 2.29, 95%CI 1.01-5.51) and chest radiotherapy (OR 7.01, 95%CI 1.42-34.66) were independent risk factors for thrombosis. In addition to these risk factors, the presence of distant metastases (OR 9.36, 95%CI 1.53-57.05) increased the risk of thrombosis in patients who received placebo. An inadequate position of the CVC tip, left-sided CVC insertion and chest radiotherapy are independent risk factors for CVC-related thrombosis in cancer patients. Patients with distant metastases have an increased risk for thrombosis in absence of antithrombotic prophylaxis.

Background and Objectives Over the last decade, lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node (sN) biopsy have greatly increased the possibility of identifying nodal metastasis in clinically node-negative patients with melanoma and breast cancer, thus improving the accuracy of pathologic staging. Recently, sN biopsy has been applied also in colorectal cancer. This prospective study aimed to assess its feasibility and accuracy in predicting regional lymph nodes metastases in colorectal cancer patients as well as the impact on treatment decision-making. Materials and Methods Lymphatic mapping was accomplished by means of blue dye, which was intraoperatively injected into the subserosa overlying the tumor site in 26 patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. Following bowel resection, the operative specimen was inspected to identify each blue-stained node, the sN, which was sent separately to the pathologist. One half of each sN was examined by multiple 200 μm sections, while the second half was examined by standard bi-valving technique with hematoxylin-eosin (HE all the other regional non-sentinel nodes were routinely examined by standard bi-valving technique and H&E staining. Results At least one sN was detected in 24 of 26 patients (92.3%); two patients with rectal cancer had no sN identified. Overall, 70 sN were retrieved into the operative specimens, with a mean of 2.9 sNs/patient, and 19 sNs were tumor-positive. An agreement between sN and regional lymph-node status was observed in 20 of 24 patients (83.4%). The sN was histologically negative in two of nine patients with positive regional nodes (sensitivity = 77.8%; false-negative rate of 22.2%); in two of seven patients with tumor-positive sN (28.6%), the sN was the exclusive site of regional nodal metastasis. The negative predictive value was 88.2% (15 of 17 patients), and the overall accuracy was 91.7% (22 of 24 patients). As regards the contribution to the detection of nodal metastasis according to the pathologic technique, standard H&E bi-valving technique detected 16 of 19 tumor-positive sNs (84.2%) while, by means of serial sectioning, metastases were detected in the remaining 3 of 19 sNs (15.8%). Conclusions The sN biopsy proved feasible, with a rather short learning curve. The focused analysis of the sN by means of serial sectioning improved the detection rate of nodal metastasis compared to standard bi-valving examination, so that a more accurate nodal staging should be expected; finally, an elective localization of metastasis within the sN was observed in almost one third of regional node-positive patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 2004;85:166–170. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Sentinel lymph node (sN) biopsy has gained special attention among surgical and medical oncologists as it represents an accepted technique for detecting occult nodal disease in regional lymph nodes of patients with melanoma and breast cancer. The histopathologic examination of the sN may well predict regional lymph node status in order to define the most suitable loco-regional and systemic treatment. Recently, this technique has also been applied to other solid tumor types such as gynecologic and urologic malignancies, squamous head and neck cancer, thyroid cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, and gastric cancer. The aim of this literature review is to define the rationale of sN biopsy in these tumor sites, the most effective procedure for sN detection, and the accuracy of the sN in predicting regional nodal status, as well as the surgical perspectives of sN biopsy application.

The status of axillary nodes is the most important prognostic factor in breast cancer to select patient subgroups for adjuvant chemotherapy; the current standard of care for surgical management of invasive breast cancer is complete removal of the tumor by either mastectomy or lumpectomy followed by axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). The recent introduction of intraoperative lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLND) represents a major new opportunity for appropriate and less invasive surgical management of many tumors. There is an almost uniformly enthusiasm concerning the potential of this technique in breast carcinoma management, shown by published data. A peculiar attention to the so-called “sentinel node debate” in breast cancer surgery is a constant in the last years issues of the major medical journals. Even patients have become more aware about medical enthusiasm and their request of concise information on the topic and the possibilities of this approach is an increasing reality in medical practice. The aim of this paper is to review recent literature to offer an overview about the main controversial methodological aspects and a wide analysis of reported results. The most significative international literature papers from Medline were retrieved from 1993 to September 1999, and 4782 procedures were analysed. This extensive review of the literature has confirmed accuracy, feasibility and reliability of the SN detecting technique in axillary mapping. Provided a good proficiency in SN localisation and pathological evaluation, human resources and efforts should be mainly focused on its clinical validation as an alternative to ALND instead of on further phase I–-II clinical studies.

Radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS) with radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) has been reported as useful in second-look colorectal cancer procedures to improve surgical decision-making by helping avoid needless extensive surgery and expanding curative resection to sites of recurrence that have been missed previously. Sixteen asymptomatic patients with an history of colorectal cancer surgery underwent second-look surgery using the RIGS system, solely on the basis of rising serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). All patients were injected preoperatively with the anti-tumor-associated glycoprotein (TAG) 125I-labeled MoAb B72.3. Both traditional and RIGS exploration were used to determine the extension of a possible recurrence and its resectability for cure. Recurrent disease was observed in 14 of the 16 patients as the result of this combined exploration. Exploration alone showed the presence of recurrent disease in 9 of 16 patients (56.2%). Thus, RIGS found overlooked tumor in five patients (31.2%). All the additional RIGS-detected tumor sites were locoregional recurrences resectable for cure; conversely, no diagnostic improvements were shown in patients with liver metastases. Resection for cure was obtained by this approach in 9 of 16 patients (56.2%). Two patients without disease at the exploratory laparotomy recurred within 2 months at sites away from the abdomen. RIGS improved the results of colorectal cancer CEA-guided second-look procedures in asymptomatic patients by recruiting one-third of patients to curative resections.

Sixty-four patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer underwent radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS). Thirty patients (Group A) were preoperatively injected with radiolabeled monoclonal antibody (MAb) B72.3, a whole IgG1 that reacts with tumor-associated glycoprotein (TAG-72) antigen. Thirty-four patients (Group B) were given monoclonal antibody FO23C5, an F(ab')2 which reacts with the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The use of F(ab')2 antibodies ensured a lower time interval from the preoperative injection of the radiolabeled MAb to surgery. This interval was 22.7 days for Group A patients and 10.9 days for Group B patients. The correct RIGS identification of tumor sites occurred in 80.4% of Group A patients and in 92.6% of Group B patients. Additional information capable of modifying surgical strategy was obtained in 23.3% of Group A patients and in 8.8% of Group B patients. This difference was due to the different patterns of biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of the two MAbs. Although FO23C5 yields an improved diagnostic resolution for macroscopic tumor sites, we believe that B72.3 or other whole IgG1 should be the first choice for RIGS in recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

Twenty-one patients with histologically proven locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) were treated with a combined modality approach based on primary chemotherapy and radical modified mastectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Surgery was performed by using radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS) technique with the preoperative injection of Iodine-125 labeled monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) B72.3 anti-TAG (11 patients, Group A) and FO23C5 anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA; 10 patients, Group B). The role of RIGS was defined at surgery by using an intraoperative hand-held gamma-detecting probe (GDP) to locate the primary tumor, possible clinically occult multicentric foci and ipsilateral lymph node metastases. In Group A, RIGS correctly defined the primary tumor in seven out of 11 patients (63.3%) and was able to find multicentric tumors in two out of four patients (50%). Positive lymph nodes were identified by RIGS in three out of eight patients (37.5%). In Group B, patients RIGS correctly located the primary in 4/10 cases (40%); in two RIGS-positive cases, the tumor was clinically not evident after primary chemotherapy (yT0). RIGS correctly identified multicentric foci of tumor in one out of two cases (50%). Correct lymph nodal RIGS assessment was observed in three out of nine patients (33.3%). No RIGS false-positive findings occurred in the 21 patients included in the study. RIGS appears to be a reliable technique for the intraoperative diagnosis and staging of breast cancer with a potential role especially when conservative surgery is planned after primary chemotherapy in LABC.

Subclavian percutaneous access with reservoir placement has been shown to be difficult or contraindicated in some patients. Of 465 cancer patients who required a port placement between January 1992 to January 1995, 41 (8.8%) had alternative percutaneous femoral access with a totally implantable port reservoir located in the abdomen because of the inaccessibility to subclavian or jugular veins and/or the presence of massive cutaneous metastases or severe radiodermitis in the upper part of the torso. Overall implant days was 9880, with an average of 241 days (range: 65–445). Ports were alternatively used for chemotherapy and nutritional purposes in 11 of 41 patients. Late morbidity causing the removal of the implanted ports was observed in two of 41 (4.9%) and in 25 of 424 (5.9%) patients in the femoral and subclavian series, respectively ( P =0.86). The femoral percutaneous access for totally implantable port devices appears to be a safe alternative for cancer patients when subclavian and/or jugular vein catheterization and reservoir in the upper part of the torso is contraindicated.

The results of a randomized, multi-center clinical trial of immunoprophylaxis of post-operative infections with intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) (Sandoglobulin ® ) in “septic risk” patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal cancer are presented. “Septic risk” patients were selected by an original multiparametric test based on delayed hypersensitivity skin testing and serum protein electrophoretic subfractions. This screening test had shown 76% positive predictivity in a previous validation assessment. In the present study, 159 “septic risk” patients were selected prospectively from 369 patients undergoing colo-rectal (Colon) and other kinds of gastrointestinal (Non-colon) oncologic surgery; 80 “septic risk” patients were included in the Colon and 79 in the Non-colon group. Immunoprophylaxis with IVIG (15 g on the day prior to operation, and on the 1st and 5th post-operative days) was randomly associated to antibiotic prophylaxis (cefoxitin: 2 g 1 h prior to, followed by 2 g at the end of operation plus 2 g every 6 h for 24 h) in Colon surgery while the prophylactic schedule in Non-colon surgery was only based on random administration of IVIG, at the same dosage as in the Colon group. There was a clear-cut reduction of post-operative infections both in Colon and Non-colon “septic risk” patients who had IVIG prophylaxis; in the Colon group, 37 and 21 infections ( P ⩽ 0.004) in the antibiotic (A) versus IVIG plus antibiotic (IVIG+A) subsets, respectively; in the Non-colon group there were 33 and 19 infections ( P

Patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are severely immunocompromised. In virtually all such patients who have been studied, reduced numbers of circulating CD3+ T-cell-receptor (TCR)α/β + T lymphocytes, a reduction of natural killer (NK) activity, and a poor induction of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell activity (following in vitro treatment with recombinant interleukin-2 [rIL-2]) have been detected. Recently, however, it has been demonstrated that perilymphatic injections of low doses of rIL-2 may induce a local reduction of tumor masses in these patients. The present study, a cooperative pilot effort on the clinical effects of this route of administration, showed an activation of the lytic machinery in lymphocytes belonging to the T-cell lineage, as well as a potentiation of NK activity in the peripheral blood. These findings demonstrated that the severe immunodeficiency of HNSCC patients may be at least partially corrected by in vivo administration of rIL-2.

Primary osteosarcoma of the spermatic cord is a rare tumour with few mentions in the literature. A 59-year-old man presented with a large painless left inguinal and scrotal mass. The patient underwent excision of the mass, which arose from the spermatic cord. A left high dissection of the spermatic cord and radical orchiectomy due to associated atrophy of the left testicle were performed. Pathological findings were suggestive of spermatic cord osteosarcoma. The patient died eleven years later of metastatic lung disease. Spermatic cord osteosarcoma is an uncommon neoplasm and its preoperative diagnosis is very difficult. Any palpable suspicious mass of the cord should be investigated with ultrasonography before excision; CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging may be helpful in defining preoperative diagnosis and the extension of the mass into the neighbouring tissues. Surgical treatment of spermatic cord sarcomas in adults is via a radical orchiectomy with high dissection of the spermatic cord and en bloc excision of involved neighbouring tissues; overall 5- and 10-year survival rates are reported in the literature to be 75% and 55%, respectively.

The role of elective lymph node dissection (ELND) for treatment of cutaneous melanoma is still debated. Initially, lymphatic mapping technique was performed by an intradermic injection of vital blue dye; subsequently, it was improved by the use of radioguided surgery (RGS). Preliminary experience with this technique proved effective for detection of clinical occult lymph node metastasis; it may also enable the surgeon to perform a selective lymph node dissection (SLND) to concentrate on pathologic node-positive patients for the same potential benefits that have been provided by ELND. We performed sentinel node biopsy on 48 patients with stage pT3N0M0 melanoma. Vital blue dye mapping only was carried out on 39 patients; the remaining nine patients had a combined lymphatic mapping with both blue dye and RGS. The sentinel lymph node (SLN) was identified in 46 of 48 patients (95.8%). Ten patients (20.8%) were found to have metastatic melanoma cells in their SLN(s); all these patients underwent SLND of the affected basin. Our findings confirm that the intraoperative lymphatic mapping of the SLN using both blue dye and radiodetection is an appropriate and simple technique for selecting patients who are more likely to benefit from lymph node dissection.

Uniform and accurate staging of gastric cancer is essential to predict prognosis and assess the effectiveness of treatment strategies. An appropriate amount of surgical resection of the primary tumor and lymph node dissection appears to be fundamental for such staging. In seven out of 10 patients who were candidates for curative surgery, we assessed the usefulness of radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS) using B72.2 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) labeled to Iodine-125 (I125) for the intraoperative staging of the tumor and the first (N1) and second echelon (N2) lymph nodes. We obtained a correct RIGS identification of primary lesions in four out of seven patients (57.1%), while lymph node staging assessment showed positive results in two out of four patients with lymph node metastases. RIGS correctly identified 26/ 40 (65%) metastatic nodes of these last two patients. RIGS intraoperative staging of gastric cancer--which may be essential for the assessment of the extension of the primary resection and to modulate lymph node dissection--was unsatisfactory. We believe that other technical approaches and more specific MoAbs should be evaluated for RIGS purposes in gastric cancer surgery.

Sentinel lymph node (sN) biopsy has gained special attention among surgical and medical oncologists as it represents an accepted technique for detecting occult nodal disease in regional lymph nodes of patients with melanoma and breast cancer. The histopathologic examination of the sN may well predict regional lymph node status in order to define the most suitable loco-regional and systemic treatment. Recently, this technique has also been applied to other solid tumor types such as gynecologic and urologic malignancies, squamous head and neck cancer, thyroid cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, and gastric cancer. The aim of this literature review is to define the rationale of sN biopsy in these tumor sites, the most effective procedure for sN detection, and the accuracy of the sN in predicting regional nodal status, as well as the surgical perspectives of sN biopsy application.

Summary Background The majority of high-dose chemotherapy (HDC)-related complications results from bone marrow aplasia, but the graft infusion per se may cause adverse reactions due to the injection of both dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and cell lysis products We evaluated the feasibility of a two-step chemotherapy regimen with peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) support in association with a novel procedure to remove DMSO and products of cell lysis from the cryopreserved cells Patients and methods Stage III and IV breast cancer patients received induction chemotherapy with three cycles of CEF (cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2, epirubicin 100 mg/m2, 5-fluorouracil 600 mg/m2) followed by three cycles of HDC consisting of escalating doses of cyclophosphamide (dose range 1200–3000 mg/m2) and carboplatin (dose range 600–1000 mg/m2), supported by DMSO-free PBPC reinfusion. DMSO was removed by a washing/enzymatic digestion procedure Results Twenty patients received induction chemotherapy and eighteen completed the entire chemotherapy program, a total of fifty-four cycles of HDC were administered Dose limiting toxicity of HDC was long-lasting grade 4 neutropenia associated with documented infection The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was cyclophosphamide 3000 mg/ m2 and carboplatin 600 mg/m2 No side effects related to PBPC reinfusion were observed Conclusions The proposed two-step chemotherapy regimen, associated with a novel washing/enzymatic digestion procedure, is feasible in advanced breast cancer patients in the absence of complications related to the specific toxicity of PBPC reinfusion

BACKGROUND Angiosarcoma (AS) accounts for 1 to 2% of all soft tissue sarcoma. Both primary and secondary AS may occur, the latter being reported in the upper extremity with lymphedema after extended radical mastectomy for breast cancer (postmastectomy AS) or following radiotherapy of the breast, the thoracic wall, or other sites (radiation-associated AS). The authors report two cases of cutaneous radiation-associated AS and review literature regarding treatment planning and follow-up data to define the most appropriate therapy for cutaneous and noncutaneous radiation-associated AS. METHODS The clinical records of two patients with radiation-associated AS were analyzed and previously reported cases were reviewed. RESULTS Case 1: a female age 67 years developed cutaneous AS in the residual breast 27 months after breast-conserving therapy and conventional external beam radiotherapy (EBR). She underwent chemotherapy followed by simple mastectomy and chemotherapy with the same regimen but developed early recurrence that was treated with hyperthermia and EBR, wide excision, and second-line chemotherapy. She died 30 months after primary diagnosis of AS with multiple metastases. Case 2: a male age 59 years developed cutaneous AS in the left groin, 10 years after conservative surgery and EBR for a penile carcinoma. Early recurrence following wide excision was treated with chemotherapy, re-excision, and immunochemotherapy but the patient died 24 months after the primary diagnosis of cutaneous AS with local progression and distant metastases. CONCLUSIONS The prognosis of radiation-associated AS is dismal, due mostly to its poor differentiation and frequent diagnostic delay. Simple mastectomy is advised for patients with cutaneous AS after breast-conserving surgery with wide tumor-free margins. If primary surgery fails, survival is seriously compromised because adjuvant or palliative treatments are not effective. Cancer 1996;77:2496-502.

We have recently demonstrated that continuous-infusion (CI) 5-fluorouracil (FU) eradicates human colon carcinoma cells made resistant to bolus FU in vitro. In addition, in the same experimental system, the mechanisms of resistance to pulse and CI FU were found to be different. These observations led us to test the clinical activity of a standard regimen of CI FU (300 mg/m2 per day) in a cohort of 15 patients with advanced measurable colorectal cancer who were in progression after having failed to respond to bolus treatment with FU alone (3 patients) or FU combined with high-dose 6-S-leucovorin (LV) (12 patients). The median age of the patients was 68 years, and their median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) was 1. No myelotoxicity was observed. Mild diarrhea, mucositis, and vomiting occurred in 32%, 26%, and 19% of the patients, respectively, with no WHO grade 3 or 4 episodes being noted. In all, 6 of 15 patients complained of hand-foot syndrome, which was severe in 2 instances, lasting approximately 1 week. Overall, 1 partial response and 6 instances of disease stabilization, including 3 minor responses, were obtained both in patients who had been pretreated with pulse FU alone and in patients who had failed first-line treatment with FU + LV. Finally, 8 patients failed CI FU. In conclusion, these results, obtained in patients who were clearly progressing after having failed first-line treatment, support our experimental finding that resistance to bolus FU may be overcome by CI FU and extend this possibility to patients who are resistant to bolus treatment with FU + LV.

8021 Background: Efficacy of prophylaxis with fixed dose of warfarin or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for upper limb deep vein thrombosis (UL-DVT) related to central vein catheter (CVC) has b...

Estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR) receptors were evaluated in the tumor tissue (T) and in the mammary gland far from malignancy (D) in 36 breast cancers. Results were correlated with the pathological grading of the tumor and the axillary nodal status. It is suggested that a lower cancer malignancy with negative nodes and lower values of pathological grading (G1-G2) may be associated with a high level of ER in the mammary parenchyma far from the tumor (D).

The histories of 90 consecutive patients who underwent curative surgery for rectal cancer from January 1975 to December 1981 were reviewed. Twenty of 90 patients (22.2%) recurred locally. The site of the primary lesion and tumor differentiation are the most important factors influencing local recurrence. Median survival from recurrence was 3 months and no patient was alive after 15 months. No significant difference in survival was observed in patients surgically treated for recurrence compared to untreated patients.